Indiana University is home to a cohesive and collaborative community of virologists investigating viruses that serve both as powerful experimental models and as causative agents of significant human diseases. Our research spans a diverse range of animal viruses, including alphaviruses, enteroviruses, flaviviruses, hepatitis B virus, HIV, and reoviruses, as well as bacteriophages.
The Virology laboratories at IU address fundamental questions about virus biology, virus–host interactions, and host responses. Some questions our research labs are addressing: How do viruses deliver their genomes into host cells? How do cells detect and respond to viral infection? How do viruses evade or overcome host antiviral defenses? What mechanisms in the virus replication cycle are evolutionary conserved? How do viruses manipulate cell processes for their benefit? How do viruses recognize and package their genomic material? How are new virus particles assembled from their individual components? And how can our understanding of these processes be used to develop drugs that prevent or disrupt viral infection?
Reflecting the diversity of the viruses and biological questions we study, our laboratories employ a broad range of complementary experimental approaches. These include forward and reverse genetics, biochemistry and biophysics, cell biology, high-throughput screening, light and electron microscopy, and X-ray crystallography.
Together, the breadth of our research expertise and the collaborative, supportive culture of the IU Virology community provide an outstanding environment for interdisciplinary research and training in virology.
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